2016 Year in Review

Happy New Year! Amazingly, 2016 turned out to be our best year ever. Here are the highlights:

1/8: We started the year with a bang with our best show to date at Great American Music Hall w/ Whiskerman and Papa Bear. What a way to start our best year!!

1/16: We spent a little time in the snow at the Sierra Valley Lodge in Calpine. The show was pretty fun, but chillin’ out with with Lodge Master Dwight Brooks and recording/rehearsing for 2 days on the main stage made this trip very special. He made us ‘Custard Toast’!

3/3: After a year of hard work we finally released our EP, Silent Revolution w/ our buddies the Coffis Brothers and Midnight North on the bill (and sitting in). It was an incredible night that we’ll never forget. Thanks to all the fans who came and supported!!

5/27: The final show of the Tumbleweed Wanderers at Rickshaw Stop was bittersweet, but we know that everyone in the band is going on to do even bigger things, so it’s all good! It was an honor to bid them a fond farewell.

6/4: Redwood Mountain Faire is a special type of music festival. No corporate interference and nothing but great homegrown vibes built off the sweat and love of the people of the Santa Cruz Mountains. This was our favorite festival appearance yet:)

8/11: Opening for the 10,000 Maniacs was an honor and pleasure, especially since the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma is one of the coolest venues around. It’s trippy opening for a band that you listened to as a kid:)

8/13: Performing at the Gold Rush Fest was a real treat. Tons of great bands and fans from the Bay came together and created a really beautiful vibe. Special thanks to the Gold Minor dudes for all their hard work and dedication.

9/10: Playing the Poster Room during Wilco’s 5-night stay at the Fillmore was a great moment. We were honored to be a part of that show.

9/23: It was our first time playing Slim’s and we have never been so on fire in our lives. The music was what made this night so special, and we’re proud to say it’s one of the best sets we’ve ever played.

10/21: Opening for Greg Loiacono‘s record release party at Terrapin Station’s Grate Room was one of the highest honors we’ve ever received. Being longtime Mother Hips fans, you can imagine this show was a dream come true. The best part was hearing Greg do his own thing and killing it!

10/29: Doing Halloween as Neil Young & Crazyhorse in zombie makeup at the Starline Social Club in Oakland is something we’ll never forget. The most special part was sharing the stage with our old buddy Billy Cramer and Chris’s dad, RB, who brought the fire and won over the crowd with pure soul.

11/4: You gotta love the family vibe. When we heard Midnight North’s Grahame was having his dad play with him (who happens to be Grateful Dead bassist, Phil Lesh) for a CSNY tribute we had to bring Billy and RB back to reprise our Neil Young thang. Deren Ney was the cherry on top! There may never be a better night, ever.

11/2: Our great friends (and loyal fans) Adam Dragland and Jessica Thomas met at one of our shows, fell in love… and got married! What an amazing blessing and honor to be a part of their wedding festivities at Bottom of the Hill!! We played Mr. Big, Fleetwood Mac and Boy & Bear, and then Thomas Pridgen showed up with the Bad Jones…

11/25-11/28: Going on tour with the Kyle Gass Band was a blast. Instead of doing Tenacious D tunes, Kyle brought his own material and won the crowd over night after night. Dude plays a mean recorder solo! His band is incredibly talented and a bunch of great dudes.

12/10: Our final show of 2016 was a triumph. The Boom Boom Room will always be one of the best small clubs in our hearts and we have been blessed with an incredible momentum the past few months that culminated in some of the highest musical highs we have ever experienced at this show. Thanks to Colonel & the Mermaids for having us. What a way to go out for 2016!

We have so many great gigs and surprises coming up in 2017. There are many more highlights to come, and it’s amazing what happens when everyone emanates positivity and gratitude from their musical hearts. We are truly blessed to have played for so many great audiences this year and look forward to doing it even more in 2017.